


The Cuff Links

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [197]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fertility Issues, M/M, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, angst if you know what's coming on their timeline, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 02:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18306653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: On the day of Robert and Oliver's funeral Moira gave Tommy a pair of Robert's cuff links that were always intended for Oliver. Tommy finds the perfect occasion to fulfill Robert's original intentions.





	The Cuff Links

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This was an installment I was working on around Christmas that I never finished editing. I hope you don't mind a little Christmas closing out March.
> 
> This installment is 129/197. The chronological list for the series, with hyperlinks, can be found at  
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/11051019

Original Photograph by Ashkela

 

It was graduation day and Oliver’s skin felt electric with anticipation. He felt silly being so excited about a day that was almost twenty years late, but he was excited, and he was going to allow himself a day to be proud of what he’d accomplished. He turned off the shower and ran a towel over his body quickly. Felicity and Tommy were already up and dressed and feeding breakfast to William, Bobby, and Becca. He was thrilled that Samantha and Richard had permitted William to come for a long weekend to celebrate.

Oliver was surprised when he exited the bathroom to find Tommy sitting on the edge of their bed. “Am I running late?”

“No,” Tommy leaned back on his elbows, “I was hoping to get a show.”

Oliver gave his naked backside an exaggerated sway as he walked into their closet and earned himself a wolf whistle from his husband. He selected a lightweight gray suit and was standing in front of his shirts when Tommy wrapped an arm around his waist and pointed to a light blue shirt. Noting the French cuffs, he asked, “Isn’t that too fancy?”

Tommy kissed Oliver’s neck and dropped a tie on his opposite shoulder. “You’ll look perfect.”

Oliver dressed as Tommy watched in silence. His husband looked pensive as his eyes followed him around the room. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Tommy smiled, “It’s going to be a great day.”

Oliver finished the Windsor knot in his tie and moved to the drawer that held his cuff links. He was surprised to find a small box wrapped in shiny paper sitting on top of his cuff links. He left the closet and held up the box, “You wouldn’t know anything about this, would you?”

Tommy shrugged, “I might.”

Oliver unwrapped the box and his hands began to shake when he lifted the lid.

Tommy got off their bed and removed one of the cuff links from the box and began to insert it into Oliver’s cuff. “The day of your funeral, your mom gave these to me. She told me that your dad bought them the day you were born, and he planned on giving them to you when you graduated from college.” He placed the second link in Oliver’s cuff. “I think you should have them now. You’ve earned them.”

Oliver wiped his eyes. Tommy had never made a secret of having Robert’s cuff links and Oliver had even refused them on his thirtieth birthday. The cuff links were the only thing of Robert’s Tommy had and it never felt right to take them from him. Besides, he never felt like he deserved them, and, more importantly, they now belonged to Tommy. “They’re yours.”

Tommy kissed his husband softly. “Your dad would want you to have these today. Besides, when I wear them, people think the Q is for a very different type of queen.”

Oliver laughed and then threw his arms around his husband, “Thank you.” Words failed him but he knew that Tommy didn’t need any words. “Have you been waiting for me to graduate from college?”

“I thought about giving them to you on our wedding day, but you were wearing his watch and, selfishly, I wanted something that belonged to your dad and your mom had given them to me.” Tommy lifted his head and wrinkled his nose, “What can I say? I’m a selfish asshole.”

Oliver kissed Tommy and then nuzzled his neck, “Liar.”

“He wanted you to have these on your graduation day. I wish he could be here – that they both could be here. They’d be so proud.” Tommy smoothed his hand over Oliver’s shoulders and then his tie. “You look very handsome. Are you ready to graduate?”

“Yeah, I think I am,” Oliver said, lacing his fingers with his husband’s. He laughed as Tommy began to whistle, _Pomp and Circumstance_.

 

The Queen mansion was silent as Oliver and Tommy walked barefoot through it’s halls. They had awoken to find Felicity missing from their bed, but Bobby and Becca sound asleep in the nursery with Mia. Worried by Felicity’s absence, her husbands had decided to seek her out.

Tommy paused on the stairs at the sound of Felicity and Thea’s laughter coming from the living room. His voice, scratchy from sleep, lamented, “Whatever they’re laughing at, it’s at our expense.”

Oliver agreed with his husband’s assessment. Whenever their wife and sister laughed like that, it was usually at Oliver and/or Tommy.

They entered the living room to find Thea, Felicity, and William on the sofa watching a very old Queen family movie. Spotting them, William’s face lit up with a smile. He gestured to the television, “It’s Aunt Thea’s first Christmas.”

Oliver smiled at Thea sitting in a bouncy chair beneath the Christmas tree as he and Tommy tore open packages. Young Tommy held a ninja turtle over his head with glee. Felicity cooed at his grin made more adorable by the absence of two lower teeth.

Thea looked over her shoulder at her brothers and smiled. “I can’t believe mom let the two of you go around with hair like that.”

“I’m rocking those curls,” Tommy said, scooping up a sleeping Scott from Thea’s arms.

“What’s your excuse?” Thea asked Oliver.

He shrugged. “I’m not responsible for that hairstyle. I was eight.”

“I’m sure bowl cuts were all the rage back then,” Thea teased.

The camera zoomed back in on baby Thea. William made an excited noise in his throat. “Wow, Aunt Thea and Bobby look so much alike.”

All four adults’ attention returned to the screen. William was right. Bobby was the spitting image of Thea as a baby. What William didn’t know was that Thea was the spitting image of Tommy as a baby because they shared the same father. Very few people knew that Thea’s dad was Malcolm, not Robert, including William.

Oliver’s chest squeezed with anxiety. He could see how happy William was made by the revelation – he thought it meant that he had proof of a biological sibling. Tommy’s attention returned to Scott, but from the line of his shoulders, he knew William’s comment had upset Tommy. Oliver was afraid to look at Felicity. It had been nine months since they’d started trying to conceive their third child deliberately as Oliver’s. The lack of a pregnancy was beginning to weigh heavily on their marriage.

“What is everyone doing up?” Oliver asked, trying to change the subject. “Santa won’t come if everyone is awake.”

“Scott was ready for his two o’clock feeding,” Thea answered. “Felicity heard me in the hall and volunteered to keep me company.”

“What are you doing up?” Oliver asked William.

“I was hungry,” William said. “I was getting a snack and heard them in here laughing.”

“And the home movies?” Oliver asked, his eyes on the image of his mom trying to get his dad to focus the camera away from her onto Thea. He was surprised how happy she seemed. His dad must’ve forgiven her by then for Thea’s paternity.

“William was asking if we had any Christmas home movies. I told him the ones from before I was born are boring,” Thea said.

“You look a lot like grandpa,” William said.

“He looks like the Governor more,” Tommy said.

“Grandma’s dad?” William asked. “Do you have a picture of him?”

“The internet is full of them. He was kind of famous,” Felicity said.

“He’s old in most of the pictures on the internet.” Thea pointed to a cabinet, “There are photo albums in there. The top shelf – black leather. That should be Grandpa and Grandma when they first got married.”

William eagerly scrambled for the photo album. He returned to the sofa and opened it across his and Felicity’s lap. “Wow, you look a lot like him too.” William’s eyes kept moving from the album to Oliver.

“So do you,” Oliver said to his son as he looked at the picture of Grandpa Jonas.

“I can’t believe my great-grandfather was a governor,” William mused. “Didn’t that make either of you want to get into politics?”

Thea and Oliver snorted. There was nothing about his grandfather that Oliver wanted to emulate. His grandfather had been corrupt and a philanderer. Nothing had been more important to his grandfather than his career. His wife and their family were always a distant second. If his grandfather was still alive, he’d be scandalized by the families Oliver and Thea had made. At his son’s curious expression, Oliver answered, “Knowing what that life was like for him and his marriage and my mom – no, it’s never been remotely tempting.”

William yawned loudly. “Time for bed,” Tommy said to William.

“Me too,” Thea said. “I’m hoping this little guy,” she said taking Scott from Tommy’s arms, “will stay down the rest of the night.”

Felicity followed Thea and William but paused at the door when she realized her husbands weren’t following. “Are you coming?”

Oliver looked at Tommy. His eyes were glued to the home movie. “We’ll be right up. I’m just going to put everything away.”

Felicity nodded. “Don’t stay up too late.”

Oliver returned the photo album to the shelf. He was about to ask Tommy if he was ready to go up, when the tears in his husband’s eyes had him redirecting his gaze to the television. Tommy and Oliver were sitting on Robert’s lap as he read aloud the instructions on how to assemble one of Oliver’s toys.

He was grateful for the family he’d created, but he keenly felt his parents’ absence at Christmas. Only the arrival of the children had returned the joy to the holiday. William, Grace, Bobby, Becca, Mia, Scott, and JJ had succeeded in banishing the pain of the people he’d loss. As Oliver watched Tommy wipe the tears from his eyes, he suspected his husband was feeling more than the loss of their parents. The past nine months had been difficult on their marriage, but it had been especially hard on Oliver and Tommy’s relationship. The stress of trying for a third pregnancy was leading to mutual resentment. Oliver missed his husband and had tried to find a present that would bridge the chasm that was building between them.

Oliver retrieved a small red package from beneath the tree and sat beside his husband. He held out his hand with the small gift resting on his palm. Tommy looked at the box and then at his husband. “You got me snow.”

Oliver shrugged. “Snow didn’t seem like enough this year.”

Tommy tore the wrapping paper and opened the small velvet box. “Ollie, I can’t take these back. They’re yours.”

“They’re ours,” Oliver said, covering Tommy’s hand. “I had an exact copy made. One of those belonged to my dad, the other is new. I have one of my dad’s and one of the new ones.” He took the cuff links out of the box and turned them over. He selected the link that had an inscription on the back. “This is one of the new ones.”

Tommy picked up the cuff link and read, “OQ and TM. Always.” He closed his hand around the small piece of jewelry and held his fist over his heart. “Thank you. I love it.”

“I love you,” Oliver said.

“I love you,” Tommy said. He leaned in and pressed his lips softly against Oliver’s.

Oliver chased Tommy’s lips when he pulled back. When Tommy returned his kiss, Oliver was flooded with relief. He was tired of missing his husband. “Wanna make out?” he asked against Tommy’s lips.

Tommy took the velvet box from Oliver and returned the cuff links. He placed the box on the coffee table and then straddled Oliver’s lap. His knees pressed against Oliver’s hips as he gazed down on his husband. Oliver’s hands slid beneath Tommy’s t-shirt and rested against his sides. Tommy smiled. “I feel like we’re back in high school.”

“If we were back in high school, we’d be drunker,” Oliver teased.

“This is better,” Tommy said, his fingers threading through Oliver’s hair.

“So much better,” Oliver agreed. He tugged on Tommy’s shoulders until his weight settled on his lap.

Tommy’s lips were warm and insistent, and Oliver eagerly opened to his husband. His arms banded around Tommy, holding him against his chest as they deepened their kiss.

“Da? Daddy?” Bobby called out. His bare feet padded across the floor, past the sofa his dads were sitting on, as he ran towards the tree. “Santa was here.”

Tommy snickered against Oliver’s lips.

“No presents until morning,” Oliver said as he helped settle Tommy onto the sofa next to him.

A disappointed Bobby stared at his dads. He rubbed his eyes as he approached the sofa.

“What are you doing up, little man?” Tommy asked as he lifted Bobby onto the sofa between his dads.

“I’m thirsty,” Bobby said, leaning against Oliver.

“I’ll go get you a glass of water and then we can go to bed,” Tommy said, getting up.

“Da, I don’t want water,” Bobby said.

“Do you want milk?” Tommy asked patiently.

“Hot chocolate,” Bobby said hopefully.

“Nice try, that’s not one of your options,” Tommy said with a small shake of his head.

Bobby sighed heavily. “Water is fine.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Bobby rested his head on Oliver’s lap. He pointed to the torn wrapping paper and velvet box on the table, “I thought you said no presents. What’s that?”

Oliver reached over and retrieved the box. He opened it and showed Bobby the pair of cuff links. “I gave these to your dad. This one,” he held out one of the cuff links, “belonged to my dad. I have the other one. This one,” he held up the new cuff link, “is a new one I had made for your dad. I have the other one.”

Bobby traced his finger over the platinum square. “Q for Queen?”

“Yes, Q for Queen,” Oliver said.

“S for Smoak,” Bobby said through a yawn.

“Being a Smoak doesn’t make you any less of a Queen,” Oliver’s voice caught in his throat. He never wanted Bobby to doubt his love for him. Bobby was no less precious to him because of William or the baby they were trying to conceive. William might be Oliver’s oldest, but Bobby was his first child – the child that made him a father. “You are my son and, one day, these cuff links will belong to you.” Oliver thought of the second pair of matching cuff links in his closet at home. He wondered if their third pregnancy would result in another son that could take his cuff links. It felt fitting that his sons with Tommy should receive these cuff links.  One day, he planned on giving William his dad’s watch.

“Really?” Bobby said with excitement sitting up. “These will be mine? When?”

“I don’t know. I need to speak with your dad about that.” Oliver was tempted to tell Bobby when he graduated from college, but at the rate Bobby was going he’d be graduating from college before he could shave. “Maybe for your twenty-first birthday.”

Bobby scrunched his nose as he did the math. “That’s sixteen more years,” he said with exasperation. “That’s a long time.”

Oliver smiled indulgently at his son. He imagined that sixteen years felt like an eternity for his son, but he knew it would arrive in a blink of an eye. He pulled Bobby onto his lap and his son cuddled against his chest. “Are you ready to go to sleep?” he asked when Bobby yawned.

“I’m too excited to sleep,” Bobby said with a smile. “Santa brought lots of presents.”

“No presents until after breakfast. That’s the rule,” Oliver said.

Bobby frowned. “Da opened a present.”

“That was a special present for your dad from me,” Oliver explained. “Since they belonged to your Grandpa Robert, I thought it might make us a little sad.”

“Cause you miss grandpa,” Bobby said with understanding. “Did it make you sad?”

“No, I don’t think it made either of us sad. It was nice to think about grandpa and it’s nice to think that one day, you’ll wear his cuff links too.” Oliver kissed the top of Bobby’s head. “I love you, little man.”

“Daddy, can I sleep with you?” Bobby asked.

Tommy returned with a glass of water. “I thought you wanted to sleep with your cousin and sister?”

Bobby drank the glass of water. He handed the empty glass back to Tommy and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He gave a satisfied sigh. “I’m not tired and Mia and Becca are asleep.”

“All right, little man,” Oliver said, standing up with Bobby still cradled in his arm, “bedtime for all of us.”

Tommy picked up his present and slid his hand into Oliver’s free hand. They laced their fingers together and made their way back upstairs.

“Daddy said that I can have those on my twenty-first birthday,” Bobby said, pointing to the box in his dad’s hand.

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Tommy said. “One day, you can give them to your son.”

Bobby laughed. “I’m to young to have a son, da.”

“Yes, you are,” Oliver agreed.

“Let’s not wake mommy,” Tommy whispered as he opened Oliver’s old bedroom door.

Oliver laid Bobby beside a sleeping Felicity. “Close your eyes,” he whispered to Bobby. Before he could slide in next to their son, Tommy tugged on his hand and led him to the bathroom.

“Thank you for my present,” Tommy whispered. He placed a soft kiss to Oliver’s lips.

“You’re welcome.” Oliver continued to hold Tommy’s hand when he tried to step away. “When we get home, I want to pick up where we left off. I miss you – us.”

“Me too,” Tommy said, resting his forehead against Oliver’s. “We should get back out there before he wakes Felicity.”

Oliver returned to bed and patiently waited for Bobby to settle in beside him. He listened to the steady breathing of his wife, husband, and son as they slept. Hope flared in his chest as he realized how ridiculous he was being to worry about his relationship with Felicity and Tommy. They’d experienced rough patches before, and they were sure to encounter them again. They would get through their current challenge as they got through them before, together. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought of the new baby he expected they’d have by next Christmas. He loved his family more than he ever dreamed possible and he couldn’t wait to meet the newest member, whomever he or she would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Your kudos and comments are what keep me writing and are always appreciated.
> 
> This weekend's news about EBR has me a bit heartbroken. Arrow and Oliver without Felicity is impossible to imagine. Even speculation that Colin's visit to Vancouver means a return of Tommy this season is failing to cheer me up. 
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. I'm always happy to answer questions about this verse or anything else Arrow. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


End file.
